The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

An African-American man in Missouri is considering legal action against Pizza Hut after having his name replaced on a receipt with the words “BIGBLACK.”

“At first I thought maybe this was some type of promotional,” the customer explained. “This had to be the name of a pizza that I didn’t know.”

But he continued to be dogged by suspicion, so he compared it to a receipt from another area Pizza Hut and, “Lo and behold, the same spot where the name would go is where the racist remark went from the Pizza Hut on Lindell.”

And then there’s the matter of timing — The incident occurred on Martin Luther King Day. “To be an African-American male and have that type of injustice done to you, especially by a Caucasian, on Martin Luther King holiday, it just threw me so hard,” explained the disgruntled customer.

After voicing his displeasure to Pizza Hut, the customer was offered two $50 gift cards and a letter of apology from Hut headquarters.

“We have taken corrective action, including an employee training at this restaurant, to make sure our policies are adhered to,” said Chris Fuller, Pizza Hut spokesman. Hut policy dictates that only name, address or phone number can be used to identify customers.

However, the customer still feels a personal slight and is considering legal action.

“It’s good that they did manage to step up and do something, but still they have not addressed [my] problem,” the customer, who says he was the only one in that Pizza Hut at the time of his purchase, explained. “First you’ve got to deal with [me] then you deal with everyone else.”

As for the gift cards he received, the customer says he has donated them to a local homeless shelter.